Where do you get this thing about Pujols having a better start to his career? Once you adjust for the context in which they were playing (i.e., Pujols got started during silly ball), and the parks in which they play, they have basically identical OPSs. (Trout leads by one point.) Trout's OPS is also weighted more heavily towards on-base percentage than is Pujols', and on-base percentage is more valuable than is slugging percentage. So as batters, Trout has a narrow lead over Pujols. But once you account for the fact that Trout is a good base runner and a center fielder, whereas Pujols was a leftfielder/first baseman (although admittedly a good one), Trout pulls into a comfortable lead.
We really should feel lucky that we get to watch Trout play. Through age 24 he is the greatest player of all time. Ruth's huge seasons came after age 24, so no guarantee that he's going to keep that title (he probably won't), but he is something special.
That said, keep the Mantles and the Aarons. Or sell them to me cheaply.
P.S. Bonus comparison: Trout vs. Mantle. Trout has a slight lead as a hitter through age 24 (a little bit larger than his lead over Pujols, but still not very big). Both were center fielders. As a fielder early in his career, Mantle was pretty much dead average for a center fielder. Trout averages out about the same (although with considerable year-to-year variation). Trout is the better base runner.
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